Jenny's Song

Jenny coulda been a beauty queen
Blonde hair, 5'5 with some big blue eyes
Always has a coffee in her hand every time
She clocks in for her shift on a Friday night
She waits tables, Waffle House, syrup is maple
The hours ain't bad and the income is stable
She knows it could be worse, at least she's healthy and able
She's tryin' to pay all her bills, she's still late on the cable
She feels stuck here, she's had a rough go, it's been a tough year
Has mixed emotions 'bout this town 'cause she grew up here

So many good memories but such bad luck here
Dealin' with so much stuff here
She lost her daddy to cancer, her brother to pills
Only been six months, still doesn't feel real
Sometimes it'll hit her and she's suddenly ill
Goes in the backroom and throws up, then cleans up the spill
Then she shakes it off and walks back out
"What can I get y'all?", then she writes that down
Refills the water cups and then turns around
And that smile changes back to a frown

Hey, hey, it's gon' be okay
Everything's gonna be alright
Hey, hey, it's gon' be okay
Everything's gonna be just fine

She clocks out 10:03 and counts her tips
75 bucks, not bad for a shift
She fills her tank up with gas, buys a Coke and chips
Then drives 'cross-town to pick up both her kids
See, Annie is nine, Jackson's seven
She was a senior in high school when she got pregnant
They were a mistake and a gift straight from Heaven
It's tough as a single mom, but she's learned a lesson
She's got a new man, he treats her real good, he does construction
She's takin' it slow, it's been a few months and

She could maybe see it really turnin' into somethin'
But her heart's been broken too many times, no need to rush it
She says, "Eat your dinner, ice cream, then bed"
Alarm clock goes off at 6:00 a.m
She gets the kids dressed for school, then she's off again
Jenny's clockin' in her second job at the Day's Inn
She cleans the rooms, takes out trash
Changes sheets, sweeps the floor, folds the mats, then
Leaves at three to pick up Annie and Jack
Then drop 'em off with a sitter, workin' back to back

Hey, hey, it's gon' be okay
Everything's gonna be alright
Hey, hey, it's gon' be okay
Everything's gonna be just fine

Well, Jenny says, "I'll be back, mommy's gonna meet her friends"
She's in the church parking lot at 8:00 p.m
She has a smoke outside with her sponsor Kim
They talk about life and findin' peace within
Then they sit down and listen to everybody's stories
She would never say it, but she finds it kinda boring
In the back of her mind, she thinks, "This ain't really for me"
She don't like to open up, but Kim says it is important
"Hi, my name is Jenny, I'm an addict
It's been six months to the very day it happened

December 14th, I witnessed something tragic
I've been sober two months now and haven't relapsed yet
My daddy was a good man, he worked in the mines
Spend his whole life underground, never got a chance to shine
Mix that black lung with Marlboro lights
And he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 59
Slowly but surely he wilted away
Chemo took everything he had, but he would never break
Crackin' jokes at the end, tellin' us to be brave
He was the kindest man I've ever known, I miss him every day

My brother Chris had just got back from overseas
He comes home to see daddy and all those IVs
It was too much to bear, and now I'm startin' to see
My little brother loses himself more piece by piece
Coke turned to pills, pills turned to H
All that stuff these days, is fed on our list
One bad batch, one time, that's all it takes
I know Chris didn't wanna die, and it was a mistake
We laid him to rest up there next to daddy
Up there on the hill and that big willow tree

I put fresh flowers on their grave from time to time
But the weight of all of this is weighin' down on me
My drinkin' got so bad, I was a terrible mom
For weeks and I could barely keep a job
I'm turnin' it around, I got sober, found God
I'm just blessed to be alive, but some days it's so hard
I'm sorry for ramblin', thanks for listenin'"
Everybody applauds, Jenny sits back down
She feels the weight of the world lifted off of her shoulders
But all she really wants to do is cry right now

She hugs Kim, smokes again, then heads back home
Annie and Jack try to wait up, but they just fell asleep
"They were up late, watchin' YouTube on my phone"
The sitter says as she grabs a coat to leave
Jenny checks on her kids, turns out the lights
Brushes her teeth and slowly climbs into bed
She lies awake for hours, just thinkin' 'bout life
Wonderin' if she'll ever feel normal again

Hey, hey, it's gon' be okay
Everything's gonna be alright
Hey, hey, it's gon' be okay
Everything's gonna be just fine